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Discoveries in Natural History &
Exploration The University of California engaged
Dr. E. Fred Legner as Foreign Explorer in the Department of Biological
Control, to search worldwide for beneficial organisms to combat invaded pests
of medical and agricultural importance.
In order to locate the place of origin of a particular pest species
and its natural enemies he was required to consider many aspects of their
history such as how did they arrive and how long had they been in the invaded
territory. This naturally led to
investigations of human migrations to the Americas, which ultimately led to a
consideration of Pre-Columbian visitors from Europe and Asia. Numerous inscriptions on petroglyphs that
occur all over North America provided leads to where the migrants came from,
and provided clews to what pests they might have carried with them (VITA: E. F. Legner). This site is an international,
intergovernmental, not-for-profit database coordinated by researchers at the
University of California and associated agencies worldwide. Its mission is to facilitate the
dissemination, application and generation of scientific knowledge in support
of sustainable solutions to problems in agriculture, forestry, human health
and the management of natural resources, and with particular attention to the
needs of developing countries.
Contentious published material is included for discussion and
evaluation, and is not part of formal curricula at the University of
California. This is a self-contained database with a minimum of links outside
its limits. Independent Internet
searches are encouraged for greater detail on a particular subject. “Discoveries in Natural History
& Exploration”
includes a Biological Pest Management database that incorporates lecture
notes and a Biological Pest Management text developed over many years as
teaching materials for courses at the University of California. The database, which is for educational
purposes only, is a 'one-stop shop' for the student of Biological Pest
Management, and especially Classical Biological Pest Management that involves
the deployment of a pest's natural enemies. This database has a long and
distinguished history. It began as a
course taught by the founder of the Department of Biological Control, Harry Scott
Smith. Later Dr. Paul DeBach, Dr. Charles
Fleschner and Dr. Ernest Bay developed the course further, with Dr. E. F.
Legner teaching the final version for advanced students, which is what
comprises most of the Database on this Internet site now. Now retired from the University of
California Professor Legner is devoting time to developing an unparalleled
Internet resource. Exhaustive coverage of the
theory and practice of Biological Control: sections covering this
subject on a group-by-group basis, and also on a regional basis back
everything from ecological theory to implementation and evaluation
methods. The extensive coverage
afforded by the database allows inclusion of topics often given scant space
elsewhere and for which summarized information can be hard to find. There is, for example, an in-depth review
in the section, Economic
Gains from Biological Pest Management of not only its measurable monetary costs and benefits but also
less-easily quantifiable economic gains from increased food security and
reduced pesticide use. Professor
Legner has considerably enlarged the database, too, to include peripheral
aspects of Biological Pest Management, such as Entomology, Insect Morphology and Taxonomy and Integrated Pest Management, Insect Pollination, Economic Botany, Mycology, Invertebrate
Zoology and Pre-Columbian Explorations, etc. Other links
developed naturally from the numerous travels that he made to secure natural
enemies of arthropods and weeds from many lands. There is a disheartening endnote,
though. The University of California,
Riverside used to have a statewide Department of Biological Control of
international renown. In 1962 there
were over 40 full-time faculty and staff devoted to the deployment of natural
Biological Pest Management. Most
efforts involved the importation of natural enemies to combat alien pest
insects, weeds and mites. There
cannot be many readers of this journal who have not benefited either directly
or indirectly from the work and research of this group of researchers, yet
today only remnants remain. An enduring legacy of the people who worked there, though,
is this authoritative and comprehensive database. There are no restrictions on the use and dissemination of information,
as long as it is for non-profit educational purposes. Dr. Legner is still developing the site,
and is still in the process of obtaining continuous feedback from colleagues;
parts of it are changing daily. Text and illustrations are available under
the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License It is impossible to give more than
a flavour of what the site contains here, so readers are encouraged to take a
look for themselves. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - Thanks to Rebecca Murphy CABI Bioscience UK Centre (Ascot),
Silwood Park, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7TA, UK Phone: +44 1491 829121 / +44 1344
872999 Fax: +44 1491 829123 |